Bulgarian Championship
The Bulgarian Championship was contested in different forms and names prior to the establishment of the Bulgarian Hockey League in 1952.
History
The first championship, contested as the Bulgarian Cup (Cup "Hockey"), was supposedly played in 1927 at the Ivan Hadjiberov Park in Gabrovo. The tournament was allegedly held a total of eight times, up to 1934. It was organized by the Union of Sports League (SSL).
The Cup of BSIHF (Bulgarian Skating and Ice Hockey Federation; also called the Cup BFKHL) was said to have been organized by the national federation between 1935 and 1944. The 1944 tournament was not completed due to World War II.
However, it is important to note that no contemporary sources have been found to confirm the existence of the Bulgarian Cup or the Cup of BSIHF in this era. The Sofia-based sports newspaper, Cпорт, was checked for these years, and the earliest reference to an ice hockey game being played is from 1932 involving the Sofia Skating Club and AC23 Sofia. The Sofia Hockey Club and FC13 Sofia were also active in this time-frame. The information on the Bulgarian Cup and Cup of BSIHF originated from a now-defunct Bulgarian hockey website called hokey.dir.bg (archived link to the main page), which did not cite any sources for it. As a result, the existence of these competitions can be deemed dubious at best. It is possible they were contested and the contemporary press simply did not report on them. It also makes little sense why the authors of this website would have fabricated ice hockey tournaments played between 1927 and 1944, but until proof of them taking place can be produced, they should be viewed as alleged only. The International Hockey Wiki will retain the information, but advises that readers take these facts into account.
In 1948 the ORPS Championship was contested by three teams in Sofia and won by Spartak Sofia. The following year the BSIHF organized the Championship on the Occasion of V Congress of BCP (Bulgarian Communist Party). The Sofia Championship was also arranged in 1949. The Metropolitan Championship was organized by the RSIHS (Republican Skating and Ice Hockey Section) in 1950 and 1951. The Trade Union Teams of Sofia Championship was also played in 1950. The Bulgarian Championship was first contested in 1952, but the Metropolitan Championship (also called the Sofia Championship continued to be played alongside the national championship, until 1956.
Champions
1948-1951
- Metropolitan Championship
- Trade Union Teams of Sofia Tournament
- 1950 Cherveno zname Sofia
- Championship on the Occasion of the V Congress of BCP
- 1949 Spartak Sofia
- Sofia Championship
- 1949 Spartak Sofia
- ORPS Championship
- 1948 Spartak Sofia
1927-1944
Note: The existence of these competitions is not confirmed.
- Cup of BSIHF
- 1944 Not completed due to World War II
- 1943 Napredak Ruse
- 1942 Benkovski Sofia
- 1941 Rakovski Sofia
- 1940 Hockey Club Sofia
- 1939 Balkan Gabrovo
- 1938 Atletik Sofia
- 1937 Savata Sofia
- 1936 Botev Sofia
- 1935 Hockey Club Sofia
- Bulgarian Cup
- 1934 Balkan Gabrovo
- 1933 Savata Sofia
- 1932 Hockey Club Sofia
- 1931 Slavia Sofia
- 1930 Slavia Sofia
- 1929 Slavia Sofia
- 1928 Slavia Sofia
- 1927 Atletik Sofia
See also
External links
- Overview on hokey.dir.bg (link no longer works)